At least eight people were killed and more than 30 wounded on Saturday morning when a series of rockets struck densely populated residential parts of Kabul.
According to the Interior Ministry, 23 rockets landed in Kabul just minutes after separate explosions took place in two other city suburbs.
Saturday's attacks are part of a wave of violence sweeping the Afghan capital with a worrying trend of targeting schools, universities, hospitals, restaurants, residential buildings and public places.
The rockets hit in the heart of the city right during rush hour, damaging a hospital's paediatric ward, a major shopping and restaurant district as well as residential buildings.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian tweeted that 23 rockets were fired from two vehicles around 8:40 in the morning, adding that, “unfortunately the rockets hit residential areas.”
Share-Naw - New City in English – is the vibrant heart of Kabul hit by many of the rockets that slammed into one of the city’s commercial centres and an affluent residential area, home to several government ministries, offices, hospitals and NGO compounds.
ISIS claimed the attack that the Taliban denied any involvement in. Many are blaming the government for increased insecurity, saying they have failed to provide a safe environment.
“This is a threat against all of us - it could have hit anyone,” said Ahmad Amiri, owner of Slice Bakery in Share-Naw, where a rocket hit the road right outside, injuring three of his staff -- a waiter, a driver and a delivery person -- and damaging one of the delivery cars, leaving a crater in the road. At least one of the three wounded sustained severe injuries.
"It's the incompetence of the Interior Ministry and the NDS [National Directorate of Security - Afghanistan's intelligence agency]. This is downtown Kabul, there are lots of security forces and these attacks still happen. It's getting murky. Everyone says they didn't do it," Amiri told The National, adding that "it looks like this is the start of the new normal."
A short distance from Slice Bakery, Sana Medical Complex’s paediatric ward was hit by yet another rocket, destroying one of the treatment rooms but causing no casualties.
“It was a miracle that no one was hurt,” said Nilab Sadat, the private clinic’s owner and CEO, still shaken by the morning attacks.
“A newborn baby boy was in the room across from where the rocket hit. He’s born into chaos. Life has no value here. This is one of the worst times. Civilians are being targeted. There is not a single peaceful day in Kabul,” she said.
The explosions came ahead of a meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and negotiators from the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar’s capital Doha.
There is an ongoing wave of violence that has wrought carnage across Afghanistan in recent months.
The Taliban have pledged not to attack urban areas under the terms of a US withdrawal deal, but the Kabul government has blamed the insurgents or their proxies for other recent attacks in Kabul.
Peace negotiations that were supposed to lead to a power-sharing deal and that were initially launched in September have faced a stalemate, with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), saying that Taliban violence has increased by 50 per cent in the past three months.
“They sit at the table together, but they can’t stop the violence. Why would our government sit with them? The Taliban brought pre-conditions to the talks when it came to the prisoner release, but why did the government not demand a ceasefire?” Mr Sadat asked, adding that many Afghans have invested in their country, continuously trying to create a better environment.
At least 30 patients were admitted to Emergency Hospital in Share-Naw, just metres away from where some of the rockets landed. “It was scary,” said Marco Puntin, the hospital’s Programme Coordinator.
Hours later, the daily bustle has returned to this morning’s targeted areas, with a handful of shops remaining closed, and a sombre atmosphere in the streets.
"I don't feel comfortable here anymore," Mr Sadat told The National, her hospital up and running again while the rubble is being cleared up.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
More on Quran memorisation:
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
